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Chapter thirteen

What are you doing here?

Monika walked slowly down the stairs to the restaurant. Her mind was full of thoughts. Why did she do this job? She had just shot a man she liked. A few days before she had danced with him, not knowing that he had tried to kill Carlsson. But she was pleased she had saved Carlsson.

Blom was waiting for her outside. She told him what had happened. He listened and nodded.

‘You’re the best agent we have,’ he said. Monika smiled. It was as if her parents were saying how good she was.

‘Now,’ Blom went on. ‘Do you remember what I told you on the way here?’

‘Yes,’ Monika replied with a smile. ‘I’m flying to Gothenburg. Tomorrow I’m going on the ferry to England. When the ship is at sea I am to search the coach.’

‘Exactly,’ Blom said. ‘Because on a ferry no-one is allowed to stay with the cars and coaches. You will be able to search the coach with no-one there.’

‘There’s just one thing,’ Monika said. ‘What if something goes wrong?’

Blom smiled. ‘Yes, I’ve thought of that. Twelve SMI agents will also be on the ferry with you. They are already in Gothenburg. Lars Nilsson is their leader. You know him, don’t you?’

Monika nodded. She and Blom spent the rest of the evening at the Strand. Carlsson’s meeting was a great success. He got the one billion dollars he needed to destroy the nuclear weapons. It was nearly midnight before Blom and Monika left the hotel.

‘I’ve just thought of something,’ Monika said. ‘It’s too late to get a plane to Gothenburg tonight!’

‘Oh no, it isn’t,’ Blom replied. ‘You’re going on a military plane. And you’ll be the only passenger!’

A car took Monika to a military airport and she was flown to Gothenburg. After a few hours’ sleep she went to the Skandiahamn, where the blue and white ferries left for England.

Lars Nilsson was waiting for her. He was tall with short grey hair. From the top of the harbor building Monika and Lars watched cars drive on to the ferry. The ship was called The Princess of Scandinavia and was long and thin. When the cars were on the ferry, the coaches were driven on.

‘There it is,’ Monika said. ‘There’s the Millham United coach.’ She could see the driver and two other people on the coach.

‘That’s strange,’ she said to Lars. ‘There are three people on the coach. Usually all the passengers walk on and only the driver stays with the coach.’

Monika and Lars left the harbor building and went on to the ferry. They met the other SMI agents in a quiet room, near the floor where the coaches were parked. The room was full of TV screens.

‘Right, men,’ Lars said. ‘This is the plan. Monika is going to search the coach alone. We will be able to see what is happening on these TV screens. There are lots of cameras on the car and coach floor of the ferry.

When the ferry leaves the harbor, the doors to the car and coach floor will be locked, and no-one will be allowed in.’

‘Except me!’ Monika said brightly. It was good to work with other people and not always to be on her own.

‘Any questions?’ Lars asked. ‘No? OK. It’s just a question of waiting now.’

They watched the passengers leave their cars on the TV screens. They saw the Millham United coach driver check the coach carefully, and lock it. Monika wondered what had happened to the other two people on the coach. Perhaps they had already got off.

Half an hour later Monika could hear the noise of the engines as the ship started. The SMI agents watched the TV screens. There were still people getting bags from the cars. Monika waited.

Two hours later Monika was ready. Lars helped her open the locked door to the car and coach floor.

‘Good luck!’ he said.

Monika walked quietly over to the Millham United coach. She had lots of keys with her, and the first thing she did was to open the driver’s door and get in. It was empty. She got out again, and looked at the coach. It was very high and on the side there were two big doors. She opened the first door and stepped in. Suitcases. The second door would not open at first. Then a key worked and the door opened. Monika looked into blackness. There seemed to be nothing there. She climbed in. There was plenty of room for her to stand but she could see nothing. She put her hands out in front of her. Then she touched something. It was warm. It was a person!

Suddenly two hands held her throat. She couldn’t breathe. Her head was banged against the side of the coach again and again. ‘Help!’ she thought. ‘Lars won’t be able to see me on the TV screens.’

She tried to hit the person holding her. By chance she hit something on the wall, and a light came on. She could see who the person in the coach was. It was Vitjord! He had been hiding inside the coach. Vitjord let go of Monika’s throat. Then he hit her across the face. She fell to the floor of the coach. Vitjord kicked her hard.

‘Now, my little Swedish friend,’ Vitjord said. ‘What are you doing here? Have you come to see my toy? Well, have a look at it before I kill you.’

Vitjord pressed something and part of the floor opened.

Monika could see a large green box like a suitcase. There were Russian letters on the box.

‘This is my little toy,’ Vitjord said. ‘And you’re not going to take it away from me. This bomb is going to make me leader of South Africa.’

Monika looked at him. There was nothing she could do. Lars couldn’t see her on the TV screens.

‘Now,’ Vitjord said, taking out a knife, ‘I’m going to kill you.’

‘Stop!’ a voice said.

Monika recognised the voice. It was Chapman! He had come to save her!

‘Don’t kill her!’ Chapman was standing behind Vitjord. ‘Don’t kill her yet,’ Chapman said. ‘Let’s make her talk first.’

Monika understood now. Chapman wasn’t going to save her. He was working with Vitjord. He and Vitjord were the people she had seen on the coach at Gothenburg when it drove onto the ferry. Chapman was also the person who had told Vitjord that Monika was in Johannesburg.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked Chapman.

He looked down at her and then kicked her in the side of the head. ‘I ask the questions here, my stupid little Swede. As a matter of fact, Mr Vitjord and I are old friends. We are working together for a new white South Africa. Now, how did you know the bomb was here?’

Monika didn’t say anything. Vitjord touched her face with his knife.

‘Answer, now!’ Vitjord said as his face came close to hers.

‘The police have got your son, Vitjord. We know he tried to murder Carlsson,’ said Monika.

For a second Vitjord thought about this. Monika moved quickly, bringing her knee up between Vitjord’s legs. He cried in pain and dropped the knife.

Monika got to her feet and turned towards Chapman. He had a gun in his hand. Monika moved sideways towards the knife. She picked it up quickly and threw it at Chapman. It hit him in the shoulder and he fell backwards out of the coach. Monika jumped after him, but Chapman was waiting. He hit her across the face with the gun and Monika fell to the floor. Chapman raised the gun. There was a mad look in his eyes.

‘Kill her! Kill her!’ shouted Vitjord from the coach. Suddenly there was a loud explosion, and the air filled with smoke. People in black with guns ran towards the coach. There was a bang as Chapman fired his gun. Monika felt a pain in her shoulder. Her eyes closed. Everything went dark.

Monika opened her eyes again. She was in hospital. Blom was by her bed.

‘OK?’ he asked.

Monika smiled. ‘I think so,’ she said. ‘What happened?’

‘Lars Nilsson saw Chapman fall out of the coach with a gun in his hand. Lars and his men threw smoke bombs at the coach. Chapman shot you in the shoulder. You were very lucky.’

‘And Vitjord?’ Monika asked.

‘Lars and the others caught both Vitjord and Chapman.’ Blom replied. ‘And they’ve got the bomb. The danger is over. The ferry had to return to Gothenburg. The police here are questioning the Millham United people now. But how are you? How do you feel?’

‘Well,’ Monika said, and thought for a moment. She thought about Vitjord and his son, Bruce. She thought about Cabinda and his wife, who had been so good to her. She thought about being on top of the Big Wheel, and then about Chapman who had double crossed her and almost killed her.

Then she smiled and said: ‘You know, ever since this business started I’ve felt like I’ve been standing on the wing of a plane.’